So You Want to Build a Pill Dispenser? Focus on Filling!

Do you have an idea for a pill dispensing product? Good for you. You’ve seen the problem and complexity of multiple medication and you have an idea to make it better. I commend you.

At NightingaleRx we’ve learned a few things from evaluating other pill dispensers and studying the medication management landscape. Here are a few things to keep in mind that may assist in your endeavors:

First Freedom Wear Meetup held in New York City

We held our first Freedom Wear Meetup in New York City on June 25th. We had a lively discussion sharing our backgrounds, experiences and visions, and touched on a number of opportunity areas that might warrant further discussion and exploration.

Isolation and Loneliness: HaveYourSay Circle

In the last co-creation meeting one group focussed on the issues of seniors being isolated and lonely. This is one of the top problems for seniors. As we age we lose our spouse and our friends. We also lose the ability to drive and get around. This results in isolation and loneliness. Our group identified the following things.

Fall Prevention: HaveYourSay Circle

On June 4th our Aging in Place Technologies Meetup held a HaveYourSay circle on the topic of preventing falls. We learned a lot about the problem, and discussed a number of quite interesting solution "ideas".

Cognitive Dimensions of Healthy Lifestyle Habits for Seniors

Most seniors understand that active lifestyle habits have a significant influence on the quality of life in later decades. Chronic diseases of the neurological, cardio-vascular and endocrine systems can often be delayed or potentially avoided altogether by consistent exercise routines and healthy eating habits throughout adult years. However, many seniors fall short of their own personal fitness goals. Cognitive factors related to the discrepancy between active lifestyle goals and actual behaviors are analyzed in this review.

I've fallen. Now how do I get up?

Falls are a major problem for seniors who want to “Age in Place”. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for a senior to fall and be unable to get up afterwards due to a variety of underlying physical problems - even if no serious injury was sustained during the fall. While lots is written about calling emergency services, I thought it would be helpful to focus instead on simple techniques to help yourself. This article is about "how to get up".

Intersection of Aging and Co-creation

How to Articulate a "Problem"

At our last Meetup we spent a lot of time talking about how to articulate a "problem" in a useful way that can lead to solutions and effective brainstorming. We also tested out the process by having participants stand up and discuss the "problem" they care about with the circle. This article is a reference to remind everyone how to articulate a "problem".

Eye-openers from the 2014 American Society on Aging Conference

I attended my first American Society on Aging conference from March 11-14, 2014, in San Diego, CA. There were hundreds of sessions, but I was only able to attend 4-5 per day. Following are highlights from the ones I attended.

Aging in Place Meetup selects topics to work on.

On Wed March 19 we held the third meeting of the Aging in Place Technologies Meetup group. The goal of the group is to co-create the future of aging.

At our prior meeting the group identified 16 broad topic areas that sounded valuable and interesting to at least some of the members. Last week we agreed on the criteria for winnowing this down, and then voted to select a handful of topics to work on going forward. In addition, we did some rather thought provoking brainstroming about some specific "problems", and worked together on a common approach to articulating problems. A summary of the meeting follows.

What does it mean to brainstorm topics? Next steps for co-creation

I noticed that many of the topics from our last meetup were framed as solutions or ideas for solutions -- not as topics or areas on which we might want to collaborate as a group. I thought it would be useful to discuss the differences between topics and solutions, and share my thoughts on what we might tackle next as a group.

What do seniors worry about?

We wanted to get a better understanding of what bothers seniors about aging, and what they worry about. So, we are conducting 200 interviews to find out. This article shares some of what we have learned thus far from our interviews, in support of our mission to improve the quality of life of all of us as we age.

Co-creating the Future of Aging: First Steps

Last night we held the second meeting of the Meetup group: "Aging in Place technologies: collaboratively co-creating the future of aging". We wanted to attract people looking to roll up their sleeves and collaborate and actually work together on solving the challenges of aging, and that's exactly who came along. It was quite exciting.

Needed Walker Improvements: More Functionality and Customization

Walkers are a life-saver for many people. They help older adults avoid falls and keep their independence. They also help patients in the hospitals who are recovering from surgeries or illnesses. They fill a need and many probably don’t think to examine the walker any further. However there hasn’t been much innovation in the walker arena in many years. The basic design has changed little and there is definitely room for improvement.

Boomer Decision-making on Home Modifications for Aging in Place

Some of you may have participated late last year in my research survey about consumer decision making, baby boomers, and aging in place. If so, thank you very much for contributing to our collective knowledge! As of mid-November 2013, 225 people had responded to the survey: 57% boomers aged 50-64, and 43% non-boomers aged 65+.

For decades, AARP has conducted surveys showing that 80-90% of Americans want to age in place. My survey results were similar at 78%. The literature research for my thesis, though, indicated that less than 15% of earlier...

Seniors & Communication: Plethora of Opportunity

On Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Tech-enhanced Life held a Design-the-Future Session with 12 residents who live in a retirement community for active, independent seniors in downtown San Francisco. The group included artists, fashion designers, market researchers, a former judge and other highly engaged and active seniors. The topic we discussed was communication: How to stay in intimate contact with people you love who live far away.

Empowering Seniors through Communication Technology

Ruth was 90 when I met her through an organization that tends to the various needs of senior citizens. Her only child was estranged from her, and my goal was to provide companionship a few hours per week. What I found amazed me and put to rest any lingering age stereotypes I still might have had. Our game plan for how to spend time changed radically.

Seniors Embrace Social Media in Surprising Numbers

One of the writers I featured in my new book, The Vintage years: Finding Your Inner Artist (Writer, Musician, Visual Artist) After Sixty, didn't begin to write her first book until she was in her eighties. And realizing at that time that her preferred method of pen and paper was no longer efficient, she embarked on learning how to use a computer. At ninety-two she's quite proficient at the keyboard and no stranger to email.

Aging in Place survey from SFSU

Featured Research

Medical Alert Systems: Help

We kept getting asked "which medical alert system is best?"; and "how do I choose the right medical alert system for me?". This independent, objective, hands-on research tries to answer those questions. If you are looking for a medical alert system, either for yourself or for an older adult such as a parent, this piece of research is for you.

Useful Apps Club

Unlock the potential of your smartphone or tablet to improve your life. The Useful Apps Club is for older adults and Boomers who have a smartphone or tablet (or are thinking of getting one) and need help to turn it into a useful tool. We are focused on finding Apps that can change your life, and teaching you how to use them.

Reduce Fall Risk

Read the "best of the web" on: Avoiding Falling. Our team of clinicians and citizen analysts has scoured the web for the best available answers to a set of questions designed to help you make falling less likely, and make the consequences if you do fall less bad.

Guide: Home Sensor Systems

Read our report on this new category of products, designed to help seniors stay at home longer, and to help their families worry about them less. There are important lessons to be learned about which ones work, and for which types of circumstance they are optimal.